Bottle-stopper.



No. 639,068. V Patented Dec. l2, I899.

W. A. LORENZ.

BOTTLE STUPPEB. (Application fil'ed Aug. 17, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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rrn ra'rns WVILLIAM A. LORENZ, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

srncrrrcarron forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,668, dated D mber12, 1899.

Application filed August 17, 1899. Serial No; 727,601. r (No'modeL) i ToaZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and Stateof Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to that class of bottlestoppers which are made ofductile, but substantially inelastic, material and are expanded withinthe neck of a bottle or similar receptacle against a gasket, of rubberor similar yielding substance, thereby hermetically sealing the mouth ofthe bottle, the stopper remaining in its expanded position by the rigidor inelastic character of the material of which it is made.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a bottle-stopperembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar perspective View of astopper differing from that of Fig. 1 only in the configuration of itsrim. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the neck of a bottle, showing the stopperof Fig. 1 suspended therein. Fig. 4: is a side view in section, takenthrough its longitudinal center, of the bottle and stopper of Fig. 3,showing, in addition thereto, the rubber gasket employed in connectionwith the stopper. Figs. 5, 6, and 7represent, in smaller scale than thatof the preceding figures, three sheets of material employed for themaking of stoppers of three different forms, illustrating by comparisonthe saving in material effected by the use of the improved forms ofstoppers of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 represents a sheet of material largeenough to make seventeen and one-half stoppers having the customary formof circular rim of a diameter equaling that of the circles 13 and 20,circumscribing the polygonal blanks of Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 representsa sheet of material having marked thereon the outline of the same numberof blanks of a hexagonal outline, the saving in material as comparedwith the blanks of Fig. 5 being represented by the margins bounded bythe dot-and-dash lines. Fig. 7 represents a sheet of material of a sizesuitable for forming seventeen and one-half blanks of a substantiallysquare outline, the saving in material as compared with the corresponding number of blanks of Fig. 5 being indicated by the marginbounded by dot-and dash lines.

Stoppers of this class are ordinarily of the cup-shaped cross-sectionshown in Fig. 4:, having an )outwardly turned flanged rim which restsupon the top of the bottle and supports the stopper in level position,with its depending cylindrical body in suitable relation to besubsequently expanded against the gasket, the body of the stopper beingmade small enough to allow it to drop freely to the position determinedfor it by its rim. These stoppers are ordinarily manufactured bypunching circular blanks of a suitable size from a sheet of any suitableductile or expansible metal. The blanks are then. cupped or drawnsubstantially to the form of stopper 25, (shown in Fig. 4,) having anoutwardlyturned rim of substantially circular outline. During thecupping operation considerable distortion necessarily takes place in themetal, and when made from circular blanks this distortion is liable toextend to the edges of the rims, making them of wavy and irregularoutline and making the manufacturing operation more difficult. Inasmuchas the rims 26 are utilized only for the purpose of supporting thestopper in level position upon the bottle preliminary to the expandingoperation, it is not essential that the rim should be continuous or of auniform width around its annular surface, it being only necessary tosupport the stopper at a sufficient number of points to locate andsupport it in level position, hence the opportunity for the saving in material, as Well as the improvement in perform ance of its functions andin finished external appearance of the cap, effected by this invention.

These improved stoppers are formed with a rim of polygonal outline, thecorners of which serve as projecting spurs, which are readily shaped tothe contour of the upper edge of the bottle by the drawing or cuppingoperation and are not liable to distortion from that contour by thesubsequent expanding opera tion, since they ofier comparatively littleresistance thereto.

The stoppers 25 and 30 of Figs. 1 and 2, re

Vided with six points of support,being made from the hexagonal blank 16of Fig. 6, while the stopper 30 is provided with four supportingprojections, being made from the truncated square blanks 19 of Fig. 7.

The blanks 16 and 19 may be punched from the sheet exactly along thelines of severance herein shown, either in regular sequence oralternately, and are cupped or drawn to the desired form of the stopperby well-known processes. The sheets 10, 12, and 18 of Figs. 5, 6, and 7are of the sizes required for making the same number (seventeen andone-half) of the blanks ll, 16, and 19, respectively. The saving ofmaterial due to the use of the hexagonal blanks 16 instead of thecircular blanks 11 is represented by the area of the margin 14 of 6required to extend the sheet 12 to the size of the sheet 10, asindicated by the dot-aud-dash line 15. The similar saving of materialdue to the employment of the blank 19 of Fig. 7 is represented in thatfigure by the margin 21, bounded by the dotand-dash line 22. The extentof saving of material in each of the polygonal caps and blanks of Figs.1, 2, 6, and 7 is indicated by the circumscribing circles 13, 20, 2S,and 31, respectively.

A further appreciable saving in material is effected by the adaptabilityof the outline of the blanks l6 and 19 to modern manufacturing methodsand processes. Tool and die makers are well aware that it isimpracticable to punch the circular blanks 11 from a sheet of materialso as to have the circles exact-1y touch each other. This is due to twocausesfirst, the difficulty of feeding the sheets with sufficientaccuracy, and, secondly, the injurious effect upon the tools of thuspunching intersecting circular blanks, for the reason that thefine-pointed pieces of metal thus formed are liable to become wedgedbetween the edges of the punch and its die, and thus abrade the cuttingedges, which will not leave a smooth edge upon the blank unless they arekept sharp and in perfect adjustment. It is therefore necessary inpractice to leave an appreciable width of material between the blanks,as indicated in Fig. 5, thus increasing the waste of material due to theemployment of this form of rim for the stopper.

I claim as my invention- 1. A bottle-stopper having a cupped body, andhaving a rim of polygonal outline, turned at an angle to the bodysubstantially along the inscribing circle of its polygonal outline, forsupporting the stopper in suitable relation to its bottle.

2. A bottle-stopper consisting of a cupshaped disk or plate of materialprovided with a flanged rim, having projecting spurs for suspending thestopper from the top of its bottle.

3. The combination of a receptacle having an annular gasket-seat on theinside of its mouth, a gasket therefor, and a stopper formed of acup-shaped disk or plate of material, provided with a rim of polygonaloutline, the projecting angles of which are turned at substantiallyright angles to the body of the stopper for suspending it from the topof its receptacle.

4. The combination of a receptacle having an annular gasket-seat on theinside of its mouth, an expansible gasket therefor and a cup-shaped diskof inelastic material, pro vided with an outwardly-turned rim ofsubstantially polygonal outline for suspending the stopper from the topof the receptacle.

Signed by me at Hartford, Connecticut, this 9th day of August, 1899.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ.

Witnesses:

J os. MERRITT, J ENNIE NELLIs CASE.

